Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris
Directed and Written by Woody Allen
Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard

This going to be a look back on the 2011 film, “Midnight in Paris” directed by the great Woody Allen. I recently rewatched it and it is slowly becoming one of my favorite films. The movie opens with a beautiful montage of Paris. It is breathing taking. Jazz music plays over it and fit’s the montage so unbelievably well. The cinematography for the montage (and the entire film) is just amazing by Darius Khondij. As for the story itself, Owen Wilson (basically playing younger Woody Allen) is a screenwriter in Hollywood but feels creatively unfilled. He is writing a novel but hasn’t really showed it to anyone. He visits Paris with his fiancée, Inez, played by Rachel McAdams. Right from the start of the film, it’s nearly impossible to like her character but for good reason, you’re supposed to hate her.

Afterwards, after a night of drinking, Gil (Owen Wilson) is walking at night in Paris. A car appears and to his surprise, he transported back to the 1920s, a decade he loves. From there, he meets people like the Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, etc. Also, he meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard), and they strike up an interesting relationship. As far as plot points, I won’t tell more, it isn’t the most complex thing in the world, but it’s just magical. Magical is truly the best word to describe this film. This film displays the beauty of Paris while giving a tribute to art itself, writing, etc.

Woody Allen knew what he wanted from this film and it shows. It really shows off how much Woody Allen just cares about art in general regardless of what it is. It isn’t necessarily the funniest Woody Allen film but it has its moments. Everyone in the film give great, strong performances and Owen Wilson really does a good job acting as Woody Allen. He emulates him well and it is probably Wilson’s best performance. I highly recommend this film for anyone who has a true appreciation for art in whatever form. It’ll just make you care about film, writing, etc. just that much more and well this might be one of the few films that makes you want to go outside. After watching this, you really just want to go outside and appreciate everything. Everything in life. I think that’s what truly makes this film so wonderful.

5 out of 5 stars

Silver Linings Playbook Review

Silver Linings Playbook directed by David O. Russell, perhaps most well-known for his movie, The Fighter, tackles mental disorders such as OCD, Depression, and Bipolar disorder in this dramedy. The movie begins with Pat Solitano, played by Bradley Cooper, who is getting released out of a mental health facility after he blew up when he found out his wife was cheating on him. Pat is determined to get back with his wife, Nikki but he then meets, Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Tiffany’s husband had died and she goes on a strange, sexual binge afterwords. Both characters have these strange conversations that aren’t really normal conversations due to what they are both dealing with and it displays the strange behavior that people with mental disorders have in a great and interesting way.

The movie has unique tone shifts from drama to comedy that I feel in any other movie, it wouldn’t work, but because of what the characters are going through it makes a lot of sense. The movie feels like bipolar disorder in a very good way. Russell plays off the movie in that way and it really is smartly done. The comedy works for the most part throughout the movie and the jokes flow well within the script itself. The performances given by the whole cast were fantastic, especially Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro. Bradley Cooper really expands as an actor in this movie and shows that he really has more talent than he has ever shown. Lawrence does an amazing job and impressed me the most in the film. De Niro finally gets out of playing himself like he has for the past ten years and gives a real performances. 

I would also like to say that a lot of the camera work and editing was fantastic. It again, just like the movie itself with it’s character and plot, gives a sense of mental disorders with its use of fast zoom in’s and out’s in some parts. Overall, this is one of the most impress movies of the year that certainly deserves all of the nominations it’s been getting and it is defiantly one of the most memorable movies of the year. 

4.5/5 Stars